Dorothy McGuire, RIP

[PeggyR]

Obituary

"Ms. McGuire and her sisters, Christine (the oldest) and Phyllis (the youngest and the lead singer), became pop stars at roughly the same time that rock ’n’ roll was becoming a worldwide phenomenon. But the McGuire Sisters’ music — like that of Perry Como, Patti Page and others of their generation — existed in a kind of parallel universe; the sweet, upbeat innocence of their hit songs like “Sincerely” and “Sugartime” (both of which reached No. 1) stood in stark contrast to rock ’n’ roll’s raucous energy, and the sisters’ genteel image — identical clothes, identical hairstyles, identical smiles — displayed not a trace of teenage angst or rebellion."

The passing of Dorothy McGuire is sad news for us senior citizens. Most of the posters here probably never heard of the McGuire Sisters, but in the 50s, they were very popular, especially among my parents’ generation, which probably felt a little threatened by the advent of the raucous, sexy rock and roll. At the time I would rather have died than admit I liked their clean cut, predictable music, and I’ll be the first to admit it hasn’t worn well – probably too old fashioned even for nostalgia buffs. But try and get 'Sugartime' out of your head once you’ve heard it; talk about an earworm. Rest in peace Ms. McGuire.

[Bonnette]

The McGuire Sisters were still appearing on television variety shows when I was a teenager...that clean, crisp sound was certainly on its way out back then, and nowadays it's nice to remember tunes like Sugartime. This year has seen the passing of so many artists and entertainers, and of course it stands to reason...but it pulls at the heartstrings, nonetheless.

[dirac]

Thank you for posting this, PeggyR. I have never wittingly heard the McGuire Sisters' music, so it's good to learn about them. Probably I have heard "Sugartime" without realizing it.

The McGuire Sisters were still appearing on television variety shows when I was a teenager..

Those variety shows are also no more.....

[bart]

PeggyR, thanks for the memories. I associate "Sugartime" with the bouncy happiness of my junior prom. What really sticks in my mind, though, is "Goodnight, Sweetheart, Goodnight." That was for slow dancing while performing a kind of simplified two-step. In those days there were still faculty monitors wandering around the dance floor keeping an eye out for too much torso-to-torso contact. Despite that,"Goodnight, Sweeteheart, Goodnight" allowed for a certain amount of exploration. So it was not as square to us as we would come to see it only a few years later. I suspect a lot of us secretly retained affection for their music as we got older.

This year has seen the passing of so many artists and entertainers, and of course it stands to reason...but it pulls at the heartstrings, nonetheless.

Bonnette, you've said it well. Thank you.

[PeggyR]

Were we ever this innocent?

And Bart, just for you…